PEORIA, Ill. (WAND) - A Mechanicsburg man has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges accusing him of four Illinois robberies.
Prosecutors said robberies 54-year-old John W. Beck is accused of carrying out occurred on April 8 at a Dollar General in Buffalo, on April 9 at Odell Bank in Odell and on April 17 at the Fast Stop Store in Odell. Beck is accused of committing an armed robbery on April 20 at Elmwood Community Bank in Elmwood.
Authorities arrested Beck on April 21 in Springfield. He was wanted on warrants issued by Livingston County and the Illinois Department of Corrections. He is in the custody of Livingston County law enforcement and a federal court appearance date has not been set.
If convicted, Beck could face up to 25 years in prison for armed bank robbery and as many as 20 years in prison for two charges of interference with commerce by robbery and one additional count of bank robbery.
Agencies involved in the investigation include the FBI Springfield Division, the U.S. Marshals Service, the sheriffs' offices for Livingston, Edgar, Sangamon, Peoria and DeWitt counties, the Springfield Police Department and the Elmwood Police Department. The government is represented in prosecution by Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Darilynn J. Knauss.
